Selector for control clocks



NOV. 10, 1936. a E SHAW 2,060,639

SELECTOR FOR CONTROL CLOCKS Filed May 2, 1936 Z Low 6 Hi" V ,n

5 a 55 m Low /6 PULL Fan AUTOMATIC J Patented Novt. 10, 1936 l I k SELECTOR FOR CONTROL CLOCKS Burton E. Shaw, Adel, Iowa, assignor to Perm Electric Switch (30., Des Moines, Iowa, a corporatiomoi' Iowa I Application May 2, 1936, Serial No. 77,487

' 9 Claims. (01. 200-38) One object of my invention is to provide a selector for control clocks of simple, durable and inexpensive construction. w

A further object is to provide a selector for a control clock which is manually operable to set the control mechanism in any desired position and maintain it in such position until the selector is manually reset .for automatic operation of the clock actuated mechanism of the control clock. h

Still another object isto provide (for a type of control clock having an element to be controlled which is normallyactuated by the clock mechanism and which can also be actuated manually, but which will recycle after being manually adjusted due to theoperation'of theclock mechanism) a means for manually adjusting the element to a position where it will retain its setting accomplished manually until it is manually reset for automatic operation by the clockmechanism.

More particularly it is my object to provide in connection with a rock element normally rocked to opposite positions by clock mechanism, a means to retain the rock elementagainst being actuated by the clock mechanism by sliding the rock element on its rocking axis to a position where it is out of operativeassociation with the clock mechanism.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in .the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more-fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a control clock in which my selector is embodied.

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 2-4 of Figure 1, showing the selector set for automatic operation.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2. I

Figure 4 is a similar sectionalview'showing the parts in a slightly further advanced position.-

Figure 5 is a sectionalview similar to Figurefi showingthe selector set for retaining its position, in which position the clock actuated mechanism cannot operate it; and

Figure 6 is an electro-diagrammatical view showing one installation wherein my control clock and selector can be'used.

0n the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral id to indicate generally a base and i2 a casing of a control clock. 5 Clock mechanism. eitheroi the spring wound or electric motor type is mounted within the easing l2, but forms no part of my present invention, and accordingly I have not illustrated it. I have shown, however, a pair of sleeves l4 driven by gears i6, which gears are in mesh with the -5v clock. mechanism and are thereby clock actuated.

The gears it drive the sleeves it and also drive shafts l8 which are frictionally received in the sleeves M. The shafts l8 may be adjusted relative to'the sleeves l4, pointers or knobs M on the outer ends of the shafts being provided for this purpose.

To determine the setting for the shafts l8, dials 22 are mounted on the sleeves l4, and as obvious in Figure 1 the pointers 20 can be ad 5 justed to various positions as desired for any speciflc installation of the control clock.

The control clock illustrated includes a switch arm 24 and contacts 26 and it. These contacts are normaily engaged, but are adapted to he go separated by a rock element to. The rock element 30 is mounted on a shaftt, and is adapted to assume either one of two positions. One position is shown in Figure 3, wherein the rock element is out oi. engagement with the switch 25 arm 24,-thereby permitting the switch to remain closed. The other position is shown in Figure 4, wherein the rock element has engaged the switch arm 24 and separated the contact 26 from the contact 28. 30

An over-center spring 3 is provided for constraining the roek element 30 to remain in either of the positions or Figures 3 and 4. The spring 34 has one end anchored to a. stationary pin 36, and its other end anchored to a pin 58 on the rock element 30. A. bracket it is provided with a. pair of stop shoulders 42 to limit the movement of the pin 38.

For rocking the rock element 3 by means of the clock mechanism, each of the shafts l8 is provided with an arm M and a pivoted extension 46. The extension as shown in Figure 3, can swing relative to the arm it but is normally constrained to engage a stop flange tit thereof due to the tension of a spring to. Hurl ng rotation of 45 the arms M in the directions indicated in Figure 3, the extension it? will. engage the shaft as shown by dotted lines, and the extension will then swing, as shown by solid lines, untii the end of m h the extension snaps oh" the shaft 32, whereupon the extensionwill strikea ringer 252 oi the rock; element St and swing it from the position of Figure 3 to the position of Figure 4. Subsequent ly when the other extension ts engages the other as finger 54 of the rock element, the rock element will be rocked in the reverse direction.

Assuming the left hand pointer 20 as set for 11:00 P. M. on the left hand dial 22, and the right hand pointer as set for 6&00 A. M. on its dial, the switch contacts 26 and 20 will be closed at 11:00 P. M. and open at 6:00 A. M. This cycle of operation will be repeated each twenty-four hours.

Such a control clock is desirable in connection with a room thermostat and a burner motor illustrated diagrammatically at RT and M in Figure 6. The contacts 28 and 26 are illustrated as controlling a resistance element R, which in eflect raises the ambient temperature, affecting the room thermostat so that it will respond to a lower room temperature whenthe resistance R is energized than when it is not energized. Thus for the particular setting shown in Figure 1, the resistance R. will be energized at 11:00 P. M. and de-energized at 6:00 A. M., during which period the burner motor M will be controlled at a lower room temperature. With the construction thus far described, such cycle of engagement and separation of the contacts 26 and 28 will be repeated continuously.

The rock'element 30, however, after it has assumed one position due to the clock actuated mechanism can be manually set in its opposite position by merely rotating the shaft 32. A control handle or knob 56 is mounted on the front end of the shaft 32 for this purpose. This knob may be provided witha pointer 58 (see Figure 1) to indicate at any time which position the switch arm 24 is assuming, the characters high and low" indicating control of the room thermostat by high and low temperatures respectively, such for instance at 70 and 60.

From the construction of the parts just de scribed it will be obvious that with the rock element 30 in the position of Figure 3, it can be manually rocked to the position of Figure 4 any time after 11:00 P. M., and the switch will remain open until 6:00 A. M., whereupon the right hand extension, which normally rocks the element 30 from the position of Figure 3 to the position of Figure 4, will pass the element 30 without having any effect thereon and the switch will remain open until 11:00 P. M., whereupon automatic recycling will be reverted to by the control clock.

It is desirable sometimes, however, to set the control clock before 11:00 P. M. to insure that it will continue in the high position after 11:00 P. M. I have provided a selector for accomplishing this purpose, which consists in making the shaft 32 slidable to two different positions shown in Figures 2 and 5. When in the position of Figure 2, the fingers 52 and 54 are in the plane of rotation of the clock actuated extensions 46, while in the position of Figure 5 they are out of such plane. Accordingly the clock mechanism has no effect on the rock element 30 when the position of Figure 5 is assumed Therefore, before 11:00 P. M. the rock element 30 can be retained in the position of Figure 4 and the knob 56 pushed inwardly to insure that the left hand extension 46 will not rock it back to the position of Figure 3 at 11:00 P. M. The switch arm 24'wi1l then remain in the open position until the knob 56 is again pulled out, whereupon automatic recycling or response of the rock element 30 to the time actuated extensions 46 will thereafter' 'dccur until a different adjustment is imparted to the selector knob .56. This also makes it possible to maintain the burner on low with which a leaf spring 62 coacts.

temperature over the week end when the house is vacant, or for any period of time desired, it merely being necessary to pull the knob out in order to again secure time controlled operation of the resistance R when such is desired.

In order to normally retain the shaft 32 in either the position of Figure 2 or the position of Figure 5, I provide a pair of grooves 58 and 60 The leaf spring snaps into either of the grooves 58 or Bil to thus retain the desired adjustment of the roci'. element 30 with respect to association or disasso ciation relative to the clock actuated extensions 46.

Although I have shown my control clock in connection with a room thermostat circuit, it is obvious that it can be used for other devices to be controlled by time and obtain a similar selection of control.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a control clock having a switch, a movable element for opening said switch when said movable element is in one position and for closing said switch when said movable element is in another position, and a pair of clock actuated members, one for moving said element to one of said positions, and the other for moving it to the other of said positions, said movable element being manually movable to either of said positions, of a selector for preventing such movement comprising a control handle connected with said movable element and operable to move it to a position where said clock actuated members cannot move it.

2. The combination with a control clock having a switch, a movable element for opening said switch when the movable element is in one position and for closing the switch when the movable element is in another position, and a pair of clock actuated members rotatable each in a plane, one of said clock actuated members being operable to move said element to one of said positions and the other to move it to its other position, said movable element being also manually movable to either of its positions, of a selector for preventing such movement comprising a control handle connected with said movable element and operable to position it out of the planes of rotation of said clock actuated members.

3. The combination with a control clock, anelement to be controlled thereby, said element being movable to two opposite positions and a pair of clock actuated members, one for moving it to one of said positions and the other for moving it to the other of said positions, of a selector for preventing such movement comprising a manual controller operable to move said element to a position where said clock actuated members cannot move it.

4. The combination with a control clock, a switch to be controlled thereby, said control clock having a pair of clock actuated members for operating said switch, said switch being also manually operable, of a selector for preventing operation of said switch by said block actuated members comprising a manual controller operable to render said clock actuated members ineflective to operate said switch.

5. The combination with a control clock, 'an element to be controlled thereby, said element being movable to two different positions and a pair of clock actuated members, one for moving it to one of said positions and-one for moving it to the other of said positions, of a selector for said element operable to position the element out of operative association with said clock actuated members.

6. The combination with a control clock, an element to be controlled thereby, said element being movable to two difierent positions and a pair of clock actuated members, one for moving it to one of said positions and one for moving it to the other of said positions, of a selector for said element operable to position the element out of operative association with said clock actuated mem-' bers, said selector comprising a slidable member on which said element is mounted, and means for constraining said slidable member to remain in either one of two positions, said element being operatively associated with said clock actuated mechanism when said slidable member is in one of said positions and inoperatively associated with said clock actuated mechanism when the slidable member is in the other of said positions.

'7. The combination with a control clock, an element to be controlled thereby, said element being movable to two different positions and a pair of clock actuated members, one for movingit to one of said positions and one for moving it to the other of said positions, of a selector for said element operable to position the element out of operative association with said clock actuated members, said selector comprising a movable member carrying said element and means for constraining said movable element to remain in either one of two positions, said element being operatively associated with said clock actuated mechanism when said movable member is in one of said positions and inoperatively associated with said clock actuated mechanism when said movable member is in the other of said positions.

8. The combination with a control clock having a pair of rotatable clock actuated members and a rock element to be actuated thereby in opposite directions, said rock element being also manually actuable, of a selector for said rock element operable to position it out of the plane of rotation of said clock actuated members whereby they cannot rock it, and means for retaining said rock element in such position or in position where it can be rocked by said clock actuated members.

9. The combination with ascontrol clock having a pair of rotatable clock actuated members and a rock element to be actuated thereby in opposite directions, said rock element being also manually actuable, of a selector forsaid rock element operable to position it out of the plane of rotation of said clock actuated members whereby they cannot rock it, and means for retaining said rock element in such position or in position where it can be rocked by said clock actuated members, said means comprising an index element biased to engage said rock element, said rock element having a pair of depressions to coact with said index element.

BURTON E. SHAW. 

